GP2 Series leaves Europe to continue its challenge at Marina Bay

The title heat is on!

The GP2 paddock has said its farewell to Europe in style: two weeks ago, in Monza, Fabio Leimer grabbed a third feature race win this season which combined his stellar consistency throughout the year and propelled him to the top spot of the standings, six points ahead of Sam Bird. As for the Briton, he added a pole position and a podium finish to his impressive 2013 record. Both men are now leading Stefano Coletti and Felipe Nasr who failed to score points in Italy whilst James Calado closed in on the duo. Needless to say that the title race is more alive than ever with two rounds remaining this season, starting with Singapore this week.

For the second year in a row, the GP2 cars will race at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, a track that features 23 corners that offer no rest for the drivers and machines in high temperatures and humidity. It will be a mentally challenging round for the twentysix racers who will have to be particularly careful on their tyres. Pirelli have selected nominated the P Zero Yellow soft and P Zero Red Super Soft compounds for this weekend, the same two compounds selected in Monaco. Once again, tyre strategy will be key.

Pirelli’s racing manager Mario Isola said:
“There is always a fantastic buzz in Singapore and it’s easy to understand why it is sometimes referred to as the ‘Monaco of Asia’: there are definitely some similarities between the two circuits. With only six points separating GP2 frontrunners Fabio Leimer and Sam Bird, as well as three other drivers still in with a mathematical chance of winning this year’s title, the scene is set for an extremely competitive race. With the GP2 drivers using the two softest compounds in our range, this should also allow them to extract the maximum possible performance from their cars. Of course, it will still be essential for the drivers to look after their tyres, and strategy will undoubtedly come into play as Singapore has one of the longest pit stop times of the year. Overtaking can also be difficult on this circuit, so extra importance will be placed on qualifying. The supersoft, with its rapid warm-up time, will be quicker over one lap but the soft tyre often has the advantage over a full race so the drivers will have to think about the correct tactics.”